The Imelda Hospital also opts for BEE's "shortest chain"

Imelda has been committed to sustainability and energy savings for years. A care institution consumes a lot of energy and water. The hospital continuously invests in projects that can absorb such costs. With the installation of more than 1100 solar panels, the hospital is resolutely opting for renewable energy!

Investing in sustainability is not directly related to medical care and does not always deliver a positive financial result. Nonetheless, the Imelda Hospital considers it important to not only care for its patients, but also for our environment. For example, whenever it renovates, it always considers the obvious, such as energy-efficient split air conditioners with inverter technology, automatic blinds, double glazing, roof insulation, energy-efficient lifts, LED lighting and rooms with motion detectors, etc.

In addition, there are also larger initiatives with which it wants to reduce its ecological footprint.

Stefaan Claeys, facilities director: "Caring for our patients is of course paramount, but we also care about the environment in which our patients are looked after. The Imelda Hospital is surrounded by a considerable nature reserve and forest. We attach great importance to them and are happy to invest in the future. The installation of these solar panels is one initiative which could lead to more. We also have big plans for our new entrance hall. The use of green roofs will ensure perfect integration into our green environment. In the long term, it is our ambition to transition to being a fully energy-neutral hospital".

In addition to the existing cogeneration (installed in 2014), 1137 new solar panels were installed on the roofs of the various hospital buildings last year by partner BEE. With a total capacity of 358 kWp, Imelda is thus providing approximately 3.5% of its own energy needs, in addition to the 18% from cogeneration. This consumption corresponds to that of about 60 households. The solar panels were officially commissioned today in the presence of the Flemish Minister for the Environment, Nature and Agriculture, Koen van den Heuvel.

The Imelda Hospital is a general hospital situated in a quiet green environment, the forests of Bonheiden.

With 1 700 employees, 160 doctors and over 100 volunteers, we take care of people together on a daily basis. In our dealings with patients and colleagues, we consider cordiality and friendliness to be of paramount importance. We have 502 beds for classic hospitalisation and a day hospital with 94 beds, which can handle 24,000 admissions and over 41,000 day hospital admissions per year. Our hospital carries out over 180,000 consultations each year.

Providing quality care to so many patients is only possible through enthusiastic teamwork. By providing the most innovative techniques and partly thanks to the continuous training of staff, we are a modern and dynamic hospital.

On 13 January 2017, our hospital received the NIAZ-Qmentum label, a quality label from the Netherlands Institute for Accreditation in Care (NIAZ). The NIAZ is an external, independent accreditation body that assesses patient safety and the quality of a healthcare institution on the basis of quality standards it has developed. This label is valid for four years (until 1 March 2021).